Sawmill capable of high production and lumber quality control operable by one man



March 19, 1968 c, MCMANAMA 3,373,778

SAWMILL CAPABLE OF HIGH PRODUCTION AND LUMBER QUALITY CONTROL OPERABLEBY ONE MAN Filed July 6, 1965 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR. 7 CHARLESEMCMANAMA 3 BY E. M MANAMA SAWMILL CAPABLE OF HIGH PRODUCTION AND LUMBERMarch 19, 1968 c.

QUALITY CONTROL OPERABLE BY ONE MAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1965m wI INVENTOR AD mhtuqmv QZCQOm OMJJOwC-ZOO KOHdiMEO TE 2310 mO m ZOUmmmiDJ Amv mhqmv M104; mmmzDJ w md w Amv wmOhUmwm OWZOEllllllllllllllllllll IIAIIIQIs ||l amok/Ewan! .F I I I I ,L

CHARLES E. MC MANAMA United States Patent SAWMILL CAPABLE OF HIGHPRODUCTION AND LUMBER QUALITY CONTROL OPERABLE BY ONE MAN Charles E.McManama, Latah County, Idaho (Rte. 2, Box 81, Potlatch, Idaho 83855)Filed July 6, 1965 Ser. No. 469,737 5 Claims. (Cl. 14319) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A sawmill combination using a horizontal traversingbandsaw as the head saw traveling on rails over a log to saw boards fromthe log and a mechanism to eject the board therefrom, with known sawmillcomponents.

In contemporary conventional sawmills it is impossible to control theentire sawing, edging, trimming, and sorting operation by one manbecause each function thereof is distinctly separate and cannot becorrelated to the other functions. However, a way is hereby found usinghorizontal bandsaw which traverses in sawing upon parallel side railswhich straddle a log and are adjustable upon the log that successiveboards may be sawed therefrom, wherby a correlation of each function tothe other can be had where one operator can conveniently and fullycontrol the entire operation from one vantage point.

While in othersawmill designs these operations can conceivably beperformed automatically, the profit of a sawmill operation is determinedto a great extent by lumber grade recovery. Full operator control istherefore desirable; that higher grades of lumber can be recoveredwherever possible.

With this sawmill design each function can be correlated to the other insuch a manner that the operator upon seeing a sawed face of a log afterremoval of a slab or previous board knows immediately where to set themain saw, where to set the edger saws, and where to set the trim saws.This is possible because an edgersaw assembly integrated with thetraversing bandsaw edges the board as it is being sawed, and because thelog is stationary as it is being sawed, the trim saws can at that timebe set in preparation to trim the board after removal of the boardlaterally from the log in a precisely predictable course to the trimmer.Also, at the same time, sorting gates can be opened in preparation forthis board as it,

follows a predictable course through and beyond the trimmer.

Most unique and necessary of this sawmill are devices which remove andconvey the board from the log. These devices, attached to the side railsupporting frame and having a fixed position relative to each board asit is sawed, in the form of a simple ram mechanism of pairedsynchronized cylinders can push the board from the log in a predictablemanner to a receiving conveyor chain which carries the board laterallythrough the trimmer.

By means of a memory type device in the control system presently commonto the industry, later functions such as trimming and sorting areaccurately controlled at the instant the board is sawed from the log bythe precise delaying of the actuation of this control until the boardarrives at a respective point.

Other advantage consists of a greatly reduced floor area requirementcompared to other sawmills, with consequent lower structural cost.

The foregoing illustrates the essence and values of the invention;particularly how one man control can be effectively accomplished. Thefollowing show the advantages which reside in the pertinent detail,reference being had to the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the bandsaw supporting side rail assembly asit straddles a log.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of FIGURE 1 at a point across the middle ofthe log, looking from the lefthand end.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic view of all functions, showing relativepositions of each operation and the unique proximity of these functionsto a position of control.

Other drawings and information concerning bandsaws which traverse insawing upon side rails so adjustable upon a log may be seen in theapplicants coexisting Patent 3,168,127 and in respect to the bandsaw andits relation to the side rail not herein illustrated.

Referring now in detail to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, FIGURE 1essentially portrays the parallel side rails b-l and b-Z as theystraddle a log d and are supported in an adjustable calibrated mannerthereupon by means of attachment to columns 0. FIGURE 2 portrays indetail the board ejecting system as it is mounted from the side rail[2-1 in which ram spindle q pushes slab r from the log d overtelescoping guide surfaces s of telescoping guide g and over side railmember b-Z. Bracket u with collar t supports the ram cylinder p in aposition around and away from the guiding surface of side rail b-l sothat when ram spindle q is fully retracted into ram cylinder p thebandsaw carriage (not shown) is permitted to traverse unobstructed.After a pass is made, the ram spindles q can be extended to forciblyeject the board or slab r from its resting place upon the log d, and cando sorepeatedly as each successive board is sawed.

Telescoping guide g bears against the side of the log as the side railsare lowered upon the log in sawing successive cuts therefrom, rollers k,l, and m rolling against the side of the log to force the slide g toretract. The mechanism represented by box o is a supplementary powersource for retracting slide g in event the log is misshapen to a degreethat rollers k, l, and m are ineffective without this supplementaryaction. Slide assembly g composed of telescoping members is is supportedby member h which is supported from side rail b2 in bearing 1', is heldin position against the log by spring 1'. Log d is held in position byhead blocks e. The traversing saw components supported upon side railsb1 and [7-2 are not shown, being known to the industry and serving nodirect purpose in expressing the invention.

Referring now in detail to FIGURE 3 of the drawings, in which aschematic drawing is shown illustrating a convenient proximity ofcontrol in which one operator may effectively observe and control alloperations of a sawmill, lateral log chain 1 delivers logs as needed tothe traversing horizontal bandsaw and integrated edger 2 where each logis sawed into edged boards from which board ejectors 3 remove each boardas it is sawed to a lumber conveyor chain 4 which carries each boardover a slab and lumber waste gate 5, through a trimmer 6, operatorcontrolled sorting gates 7, and automatic sorting gates 8. The slab andlumber waste gate 5 is manually operated in conjunction with the boardejector 3 in an openable portion of the conveyor chain 4 and by whichslabs and lumber waste may be released from the chain 4. After passingover slab and'lumber waste gate 5, a board then goes to the trimmer 6 indirect line laterally from the log from which it was sawed, therebyenabling the trim saws to be accurately set before the board leaves thelog. From the trimmer 6 the board passes upon the conveyor chain overthe operator controlled sorting gates 7 where boards can be selectivelyremoved from the chain by the operator. In a practical sawmill, eachboard thereby removed would again be sorted in an additional conveyorsystem by automatic sorting gates. Manual control would normally sortlumber by specie and grade, and automatic control would sort lumber bydimension. However, for simplicity of illustration only one of each typesorting gate on the conveyor chain is shown. After passing through aseries of such sorting gates, the lumber is thereby deposited and sortedinto respective proper piles.

The operator at the operator control panel 11 easily observe andcontrols everything within rectangular area it The operator controlledsorting gates 7 are not necessarily in this rectangular area of observedcontrol it) since precisely delayed actuation thereof for sorting ofspecie and grade is facilitated by memory type control devices and wouldnot require much attention. This rectangular area as illustrated caneasily be within an area twenty feet square, whereas in other typesawmills the function therein would probably occupy five times the area.

The components discussed, except in regard to unique application areknown or common devices and would normally need no further explanation,except the board removing mechanism illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2previously described and which is new. Together with the board removingmechanism, the sawmill design as a whole is completely new andadvantageous.

Having thusly described my invention which I desire to protect by LetterPatent, I make the following claims of invention:

1. In a sawmill of the type using a horizontal bandsaw which traversesin sawing upon supporting paired lateral side rails which straddle a logand in which the setting upon the log to saw successive boards therefromis determined by the adjustable lowering of said side rails thereupon; ameans to eject a board from its resting place upon the log after it issawed, comprising a mechanism extendable to push the board laterallyfrom the log, retractable out of the path of the traversing saw, andmounted from one of said side rails.

2. In a sawmill as set forth in claim 1, said board ejecting meanscomprising a plural number of ram cylinders spaced and rigidly mountedto the outside of one of the paired side rails out of the path of thetraversing saw when the piston spindles of said cylinders are retracted,the said piston spindles acting within the geometrical plane of thesawed board and adapted to engage the side of the board and eject itlaterally from the log.

3. In a sawmill as set forth in claim 2, in which said board ejectingmeans is supplemented by guide devices to direct the path of the ejectedboard over the opposite side rail from said cylinders, comprising anumber of elements spacedly attached along the inside of the said upposite side rail and having means to be automatically maintainedsufficiently close to the log that a board may not fall therebetween.

4. In a sawmill as set forth in claim 3, the elements comprising saidguide devices having as guide surfaces telescoping type structuresadapted to extend to the side of the log and adjustably accommodate avarying spacial relationship thereto.

5. In a sawmill as set forth in claim 1, a lumber trimmer laterallyadjacent thereto having lateral alignment to the log, and connectedthereto by a lateral lumber conveyor chain adapted to receive a boardthat has been laterally ejected from the log and conveys the boardthrough the trimmer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 927,248 7/1909 Kennedy 143191,487,649 3/1924 Foreman 144-3l2 X 3,285,301 11/1966 McManalna 1431FOREIGN PATENTS 20,134 9/1913 Great Britain. 787,724 12/1957 GreatBritain.

DONALD R. SCI-IRAN, Primary Examiner.

